I'm really unsure of where I should post this, or whether I should as it may not be appropriate anywhere here, but I feel a bit desperate for any help whatsoever. I understand that no one here is necessarily fit to give medical advice, but I feel I should get at least some idea of what could be going on. Especially with my mother having just had a hysterectomy - I don't want to have my parents add more on to the medical bill if it turns out to be nothing at all. In any case...

Within the last week I've had an issue with my bladder - specifically, it feels as if it is "sagging" and always under pressure despite not needing to urinate. I'm certain it's not kidney stones, nor is there any blood in my urine. I've tried searching various websites for info and the closest thing seems to be bladder retention, but I'm still uncertain. It says these types of things typically happen to males 40+, but I'm 21. Could weight be a factor? I've been trying to lose weight for a couple years now(started at 250), but have not been able to be very active lately. I currently weigh about 200 pounds. If it matters, I'm about 5'5'' tall. I tend to eat pretty healthy; I only drink water and coffee without sugar, and stay away from sweets. But then it was just easter so I did have some stuff then...could sugar shock be part of it?? The last thing I can think of is whether it's related to any STDs, and I'm a virgin, so yeah, I can't imagine it's anything like that. Thanks for reading and any helpful answers will be appreciated!

Thanks Blythe. Don't worry about it being TMI. I'd rather worry about being healthy than being embarrassed, so I don't mind sharing personal info when it comes to problems like this. As for those questions:

Is there any pain when you urinate? Not so far as I can tell.Is it the usual color? It's either a strong or faint yellow, as it's always been for me, so I don't think so.How much do you drink in one day? I can't answer this with one hundred percent certainty. I drink two to three glasses of water a day, but I'm not sure about exact measurements. Other than that I do have a cup of coffee. That's about it.Have you experienced any "leakage" or incontinence? I don't think so, but the term confuses me? What exactly does this mean? If it means what I think it does, I haven't gone involuntarily or anything like that.

I haven't been to see a doctor in years, as it's been too expensive on my family for each of us to go for yearly checkups. My parents still pay for my health insurance as I have not been able to find any work. Even so, I guess I may have to go see a doctor for this.

I would actually see your doctor if it continues to be a problem. I would discuss the issue with your parents if they pay for it, to ensure that you can schedule an appointment when it's convenient and affordable for them as well, if you're very concerned about that. A cheap normal checkup (and possibly a physical) from your doctor would likely be the best bet.

As far as addressing your original question now, it could be bladder retention, or, depending on your sugar intake, as excess glucose is often removed through the body in urine, could be a sign of diabetes or something like that (not saying that's what you have, just saying that's a possibility). I'm no expert by a long shot, but the problem likely isn't too severe if you are not feeling pain, and there's no blood or unusual discharges.

There's a few other things it could be, including perhaps an issue with the prostate, and honestly, prostate issues can happen in younger men as well (usually an infection in younger men rather than anything more serious, though), leading to bladder trouble.

And don't let my post worry you or anything. Try to stay healthy--glad to hear that you've lost weight in the past couple of years, by the way! Tough to do.

I actually had these exact symptoms leading up to my first diverticulitis attack, I actually thought it was a bladder infection then was hit by horrible stomach cramps and a 103 fever. Trip to the ER showed me it was something quite different.

If it's diverticulitis, there will be some symptoms or signs involving bowel movements, such as nausea, diarrhea/constipation, belly pain, etc. It shouldn't just show up with bladder symptoms alone, not to my knowledge. Then again, I've never had diverticulitis before, so I could be wrong.

Thanks again Blythe. I hadn't thought about diabetes or prostate infection. Either way I'll have to talk to my parents tomorrow and see how soon I can get to see a doctor. And yeah, losing weight has been difficult, though a large part of it is keeping myself motivated. I'd been around 185 for about maybe a month before I fell off the wagon and started gaining again. Hopefully I can generally keep at it.

Tsenta, could you expand on that? I have not heard of diverticulitis. I guess I could look it up, though. With the why Blythe has described it, it's hard to tell. I've experienced both diarrhea as well as slight constipation, but I figured that was simply due to the sudden change in the candy I ate on easter. I don't know whether I've specifically felt any stomach pains.

Well the generalized heaviness I felt was right behind the pubic bone, hence the thought of bladder problems.

Diverticulitis is an infection of the diverticuli, which are small pockets in the intestine. It's actually very common in folks 50+ but under it's pretty rare. Basically the colon/intestines get small little pockets in them and then they fill up/get infected. The first 2 - 3 days I felt just a general ache behind the pubic bone, a heaviness in the bladder region. So I assumed it was just my bladder. Then by day four I had such bad cramps in my left side I rushed to the ER.

Diverticulitis has some complicated symptoms, at least early on. Diarrhea and constipation could be signs but could also just be signs of what you've eaten lately (candy can do it, of course) so I dunno.

Hmm...hard to say, then, I guess. I'll just have to wait to find out, but I may write down all of these to ask about them anyway, so thanks to both of you. For now it'd probably be a good idea to try to get some sleep...though it feels like it's become significantly more uncomfortable than the past few nights. Whether it really has, or if it's just in my head after reading these, I don't know.

The reason you probably had trouble finding a proper forum for this type of complaint is because Elliquiy is not a medical forum. While making a complaint about a medical problem is certainly within the realms of Bad and Ugly; the listing of symptoms, past medical information and your statement about not wanting to see a doctor make this appear to be fishing for a diagnosis. Blythe and Tsenta have wonderfully guided you toward seeing a doctor, which is great. Still this conversation at the very least should happen in the non-public section of the forums so people do not perceive Elliquiy as being a place with medical professionals willing to give medical advice for free over the internet.